ISLAMIC LADIES FASHION

A Film About Aida Zein and Ninety9

Aida decided to begin wearing the hijab when she was in her second year of Law at University of
Technology of Sydney. But when she looked around, she noticed there wasn’t much of a range available
for women in Australia. “I’ve always loved fashion. I still wanted to look good, you know? I felt the abaya
[Arabic cloak] was wearing me, I wasn’t wearing it.” She wanted to dress more modestly but still
fashionably youthful and she found there wasn’t much available that combined the two. So, she started
making her own clothes and soon found friends asking her to make them outfits and noticed there was a
big gap in the market for Muslim women in the country. Originally from Syria, Aida says she always
wanted to have her store in south-western suburbs as that is where the demand lies. Her fashion has
appeared in Powerhouse Museum's Muslim Women's Style in Australia; Faith, Fashion and Fusion and
ABC's Compass program.